Many gamblers superstitiously believe that when they are feeling “lucky” they are sure to win. In casino games which allow players to add their personal input into the games, the players often believe that their “lucky” feelings are transferred to the objects of their input and that they can therefore somehow “control” the outcome of the game. For example, in the game of craps, many players believe that their good luck is transferred into the throw of the dice. They may therefore blow on the dice before throwing them or even throw them with a certain force or in a certain manner. In blackjack, players often believe that cutting the cards at a certain location in the deck has an influence on whether they will win or lose.
Of course such efforts to “control” the outcome of these games, unless cheating is employed, is purely illusory. However, it is this “illusion of control” that adds to player enjoyment, and in some cases is a primary attraction for these games. Although the “illusion of control” is present in table games such as blackjack and craps, it is conspicuously absent from modern electronic slot machines. In an electronically controlled slot machine, the player simply pushes a starter button and hopes for a winning result. The player does not typically believe that he has any influence over the outcome.
Since the 1970s, such electromechanical gaming devices have gained popularity in casinos. These electronic slot machines include reel-bearing slot machines, video poker machines, video blackjack and video keno games. The outcomes of these gaming devices are solely microprocessor controlled. For example, pulling the handle or pushing a button to start an electronic reel-bearing slot machine simply causes a random number to be obtained from a random number generator. Each random number that may be generated by the random number generator corresponds to a position of one or more reels. The resultant position of the one or more reels determines the amount of payout to the player. A random number is a pseudo random value generated via an algorithm. A popular algorithm used in slot machines is the Linear Feedback Shift Register (LFSR) mechanism, which is described in detail in the Ross Technologies Slots Report, published in 2002 by Ross Technologies and incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.
Because there is no way for the player to control the outcome of the machine, many players resort to searching for “lucky” machines. In a busy casino, however, there may be a limited number of machines available for selection. In video poker, although players are able to select which cards to hold and which cards to discard, the player has no control over what cards are originally dealt to him. Unlike blackjack, where a player can participate by cutting the cards, no such option exists for video poker players.
Accordingly, there is a need to incorporate a player benefit of the “illusion of control” into modem electronic gaming devices by providing a method and apparatus for utilizing a player input (e.g., numeric, biometric or physical) to determine an outcome of a game on a gaming device.